Joanne Disch has held senior leadership roles in almost every type of national organization, e.g., as chief nurse executive, interim dean,   president of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and the American Academy of Nursing; and board member and chair of the national board of AARP.  She has served on three health system boards, including as inaugural chair of Advocate Aurora Health. She continues as a member of that board, and is also chair of the Board of Trustees of Chamberlain University.   

She was an original leader of the QSEN (Quality and Safety Education for Nursing) initiative, and has received a number of awards for her work, including recognition as a Living Legend from the Academy; distinguished alumna awards from the schools of nursing at the University of Wisconsin, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and the University of Michigan; and the Distinguished Alumna Award from the University of Wisconsin.